Author's Note: HOGWARTS! Please R&R and enjoy :) P.S: The rating had been changed from T to M (MASSIVE CHAPTER FOR YOU ALL I LOVE YOU)
Minerva McGonagall was pacing her sizable study in her private rooms at Hogwarts. She continued to glance at the large brass clock face that sat above her desk, counting down the minutes till she would be needed at Grimmauld Place. She had personally sent the Order's invitations to return for another year at Hogwarts just under a month ago and that morning, August 31st, she was going to apparate them to the school a day early and introduce them to their new shared dorm.
Apprehension and worry were all she could feel as she continued to think over the group. The returning students, now called 8th Years, consisted of the 'Saviour of the Wizarding World' Harry Potter and his best friend Ron Weasley. The two boys had already secured Quidditch positions that would begin the following september, but for now they had returned to Hogwarts to complete their qualifications, as specified by their respective teams. Blaise Zabini, a gifted Transfiguration student would be starting an apprenticeship under her and the thought made her smile. Along with Blaise, Daphne and Theodore Nott had also agreed to complete their formal education, meaning that the couple would be housed within their own separate room although Minerva shuddered to think that the young couple, barely nineteen, could soon be having children. The elderly Witch had kept her correspondences with both Molly and Narcissa and knew that Pansy Parkinson, a brilliant charms student, and Ginny Weasley, the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, had become firm friends over the past month and she dreaded to see their reign of the school.
Shacklebolt had dropped by a few times, ensuring that everyone was alright and things were running smoothly. In his most recent letter he expressed concern for the werewolf within Draco and his chosen mate, the source of her main worries. Hermione Granger had agreed to be a prefect once more, a poor substitute to the Head Girl status she she have received. Throughout Hermione's school career, Minerva had kept a close eye on the Muggleborn witch, helping her succeed in her academics and blossom into the young woman she had become. Minerva could recall every moment of interaction between Hermione and Draco easily. The two had been gravitating towards each other since they were eleven years old, and a ratty, well-worn moleskine diary had every detail of their relationship, written from Minerva's point of view.
Every unusual thing they said, or their physical stances when they were around each other in her classes had been documented and once Minerva received an owl informing her of Draco's arrival, the Witch had sent the diary to Hermione, knowing she would be taking to the change in her fate quite hard. The stubborn brunette had always been in charge of herself, and she liked being able to decide what to do with her life, so finding out that she was tied to Draco had knocked her back.
Minerva looked once more at the clock and nodded once to herself. She took a deep breath and tickled the half-Kneazle that was sat upon her desk.
"She will be home tonight Crookshanks, don't you worry." The cat was left in the empty study, the echos of apparition the only thing in the air.
Ginny, Pansy and Hermione had settled quite quickly into living in the attic. Pansy had moved into the spare bed and Daphne had moved into one of the guests rooms on a lower floor with Theo. The four girls were getting on well; Pansy and Ginny had created a solid friendship whilst Hermione had struggled to come to terms with her fate. Daphne acted like the glue between them when something became frosty.
"Mione, he's fine. You knew him before the war-"
"You fancied him before the war,"
"Ginny!"
"Listen to me Hermione," ordered Pansy as the four girls were laying in the dark, avoiding sleep by gossiping about Draco, again. "He's kind of know for years but you didn't. He certainly didn't realise it was you for a long time."
"Do you remember that winter he thought it was Harry because he spent so much time around Mione," giggled Daphne from her old bed. The girl's had decided to celebrate their last night at Grimmauld Place by having a sleepover.
Pansy laughed in agreement before Hermione spoke. "I liked him because I could. Now I have to like him."
"Oh please," said Ginny. "You have always like him. Why is it that as soon as you two can finally have a proper relationship it becomes difficult?"
The Slytherins made noises of agreement. Hermione and Draco had slipped easily back into their friendship, but as soon as someone mentioned the bond or mates, both would freeze up and remove themselves from the situation individually. It was annoying the three girls that the couple were tiptoeing around each other and the obvious feelings they shared.
Hermione was glad that it was dark because she could feel her face flushing.
Over the course of the month, both Pansy and Draco had recovered from their injuries, Blaise had began to flirt horrendously with Ginny and Hermione had avoided being alone in a room with Draco. The latter had not gone unnoticed by the girls.
"Mione, why do you never spend any time alone with him?" came a quiet voice.
Hermione sighed. After some experimentation, the two had found that the bond didn't leak just emotions, but also the affects of alcohol and pleasure. Draco had had a night with the boys and the next morning Hermione was sick with the same hangover.
"It's embarrassing," Hermione moaned into her hands. "You'll make fun of me or you'll tell the boys."
The other three girls squealed, finally closer to finding out why. They rushed from their beds to Hermione's, all piling on around the Gryffindor. They pleaded and swore until Hermione cracked.
"Fine, fine. I cannot control myself and it's embarrassing when his mother is around us," she confessed quickly. Before anyone else could ask she continued, finding it hard to stop the outpouring once it had started. "Two weeks ago, after the alcohol incident we were talking about the bond over lunch. That night Draco, he..." Hermione stopped herself, thinking of the correct way to word it. Pansy was prodding the Witch, anxious to know what had happened.
"In the middle of the night I woke up and I was on the verge of, oh Merlin this is so embarrassing," she groaned. Ginny gasped, knowing exactly what her friend was talking about.
"Bloody hell, I didn't dream it," she exclaimed jumping up slightly. Ginny, whose bed was closest to Hermione's, had been woken up in the middle of the night by the girl's moaning. The witch had been writhing and groaning on her bed and Ginny worried she had been hurt. It wasn't until she groaned her own name that Ginny halted.
"He was doing it wasn't he," she accused and Hermione nodded in the dim light.
"Doing what?"
"Wanking. He was wanking in his room and Hermione was up here about to orgasm," whispered Ginny, relieving Hermione of the embarrassment. Pansy & Daphne's eyes were wide & their mouths were open.
"Did you tell him?"
"Merlin Pans, I swear you will sleep through anything. I take it you didn't hear him come up here?" asked the redhead.
"He did! To do what?"
"He knew as soon as he...finished that I had also... He apologised & Ginny had basically tackled him out of the room. As soon as I saw him I wanted to jump him."
Daphne was chewing on her lips, deep in thought.
"I asked Sirius if he had any books about Lycanthropy & he referred me to Narcissa. There was a chapter about mate marking. As soon as the souls of the mates recognise and accept their fate, the sexual magnetism between the two people increases until the mate is marked," she explained.
Hermione begged to see the book & Daphne stood up, searching for her wand in her rumpled duvet.
"How does a mate get marked?" wondered Pansy as she watch Daphne summon the book from downstairs. A thick tome came sailing through the air & into the witch's outstretched hand. Daphne flicked through the pages until she found the one she was looking for.
"The marking of a mate is an intimate & consensual act which takes place during the consultation of their sexual relationship. The convientent way in which most Wolves mark their mate is through a simple bite to the shoulder or chest region. Depending on the preference & profession of the mate, some Wolves have been known to mark the upper thighs, spine or buttocks regions instead. Usually all that remains from the mate marking is a scar & a few werewolf traits; preferring red meat and mood swings during the run up to the full moon."
"I guess that's why you're finding it hard to keep away from him," guessed Ginny as Daphne handed the book over to Hermione. The brunette had lit her bedside lamp was already engrossed in the pages.
The other three girls looked at each forge before climbing off Hermione's bed & onto their own, aware that the sleepover had come to an end.
"Listen, I know you have questions and things but did you have to follow me into the bathroom Potter?" smirked Draco's reflection in the fogged up mirror as he looked over his shoulder at Harry, his muggle razor dripping in mid-air.
Harry had been pacing around in front of the guest bathroom, listening for the plug to be pulled out of the bath. Harry ducked out of the way as Draco came out of the room in a cloud of steam wrapped in a borrowed towel as he made his way to his room for his toiletries. The Boy-Who-Lived had pushed his way into the room after the Slytherin had returned with a small leather toiletry bag.
Harry scoffed at him as he locked the door, making sure that they wouldn't be interrupted.
"Shut up you git. What happened last week?" The dark haired boy perched himself on the edge of the claw foot bath, picking up one of the cosmetic potion bottles and looking at the label with faked interest.
Draco returned to the mundane task of shaving, enjoying the fact he was still in his human body. "Lots of things happened last week Potter, be more specific." Draco lifted his chin, gliding the razor over his throat.
"Last Thursday night, come on, you know what I am talking about. Ginny had to rugby tackle you in the middle of the night Draco," Harry explained, proddinging the blonde wizard with the loofa that was in his hand.
Draco sighed. He knew what Harry was referring to and since their rooms were next door to each other, the Slytherin had first hand experience at how thin the ancient walls were.
Blaise had been out cold, fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and Draco had forgone a silencing charm, feeling his urgency and allowing it to take over. The moon was four days past full and Draco threw himself onto his bed, his thoughts occupied by Hermione as soon as he was laying down. The small alarm clock on his bedside table told him it was three in the morning and Draco doubted anyone would be awake so he slipped out of his pyjama bottoms once he was under his duvet. Glancing once at his roommate to ensure he was asleep, Draco stroked himself, picturing Hermione clearly.
They had been together all day, their fingers brushing occasionally, making the brunette squeak at the contact. Draco knew she felt the same shock as he did when their skin touched, and he could feel her desire leaking through the bond. He had caught her staring at him, her thoughts dirty and loud in his head. Narcissa had given him a book that covered Lycanthropy in detail when he was fourteen and Draco knew all about mate marking and how it would happen.
He felt guilty that he dreamt about marking Hermione most nights, fantasising about the mark he would leave on her for all to see. The pair had discussed the emotional side of the bond but Draco had avoided the physical side. He had always felt drawn to Hermione but since he had returned to the Order, his physical attraction towards the witch was making daily life difficult. The wizard's baths were always cold and he had taken to thinking about Mr and Mrs Weasley in bed when he found himself too excited around Hermione.
Draco was panting quiety, gripping himself tighter as he let his mind wander. He thought he could feel Hermione's emotions reflecting his own, matching the pleasure despite the fact she would be asleep. He was biting his lip to keep himself from groaning out loud as he imagined the witch on her knees in front of him, or his hands gripping her soft flesh. Just as he was nearing his orgasm Draco felt a jolt of pleasure run down his spine, so sudden that he shouted out into the dark room. His animalistic instincts were taking over and his hand doubled its pace, pulling at his member with force as the foreign pleasure increased the fast he went. Hermione's name and multiple expletives were pouring from his lips as he realised the pleasurable feelings were Hermione's.
His irises were a deep gold and before Draco could think his actions through, he found himself pulling his pyjama bottoms on once more and exiting his bedroom to race up the staircase to the top floor. He pushed the girls' bedroom door open, his eyes' adjusting quickly to the dark room. Hermione's long legs and décolletage were exposed, making his mouth water slightly as he heard her delicate moans. The tent in his trousers was making him angsty and he knew he was overstepping a boundary, but his Werewolf could smell her arousal from across the room propelling him forwards without thought.
Ginny had lunged at Draco before Harry had finally made it up the stairs after being woken by Draco. The two were rolling around on the small landing before the Girls' room. Draco was growling and attempting to push the redhead off of him whilst she clung to him, effectively pinning the taller wizard to the floor.
"Bloody hell!"
"Get off me you devil."
"Harry go wake up Hermione for me," grumbled Ginny as she accidently kneed Draco in the crotch, snapping him out of his animalistic daze. The blonde groaned as he tried to roll up into a ball. Ginny began apologising profusely
Harry meanwhile had stumbled over clothes that had been strewn about the room and shook Hermione awake. Harry was blushing madly as he heard Hermione moan before she woke. She was panting heavily and Harry pieced together what had happened. He shot up, a disgusted look on his face. Hermione blinked a few times before falling back to sleep, unaware that anybody had witnessed her react to Draco's second-hand pleasure.
Harry, Ginny and Draco had avoided talking about it and neither of them had informed Hermione or the rest of the teens of the incident, only telling them that the bond was more than just emotions.
"Draco I am being serious. Theo told me about mate marking," sighed Harry as he watched Draco finish shaving. The blonde's irises flashed momentarily and he let out a shaky breath before reaching for a hand towel.
"What do you want me to say Potter? I'm in love with her? I want to fuck her? I want to bend her ov-" Draco said, his teeth grinding and he gripped the porceline sink, his knuckles turning white as he cut himself off.
The two wizards faced each other.
"So you do love her then?"
"Don't be thick. Of course I do," Draco wiped the excess shaving cream off, turning back to the mirror and his reflection once more.
"And this mate marking thing," began Harry warily. "It's gonna get worse the longer you put it off."
The blonde nodded sharply to Harry's reflection then went back to gathering his belongings.
"If it doesn't happen soon I am going to go insane," he confessed quietly. Harry nodded, slightly uncomfortable talking about Hermione's sex life.
"Theo told me about, Merlin what was it... pheromones. Something about pheromones," Harry said as he followed Draco out of the bathroom and into the Slytherins' room. Draco busied himself with getting changed whilst Harry snooped around his few personal belongning.
"The nosy bastard," Draco swore as he slipped on a white shirt, knowing McGonagall would be dropping by that afternoon to escourt them to Hogwarts. "Merlin's beard, fine. The Wolf has recognised Hermione as my mate since we were eleven and since I returned from that shit show mission, the Wolf has responded to her more because she had come to terms with the decision and is reciprocating the feelings. Basically my Wolf wants to mark Hermione and have cubs. Merlin that sounds disgusting."
Harry murmured a word of agreement, his attention preoccupied by a little velvet box that was sat on one of the dressers. He checked to make sure Draco wasn't looking before he pulled the lid off, revealing an elegant sapphire ring nestled within black silk.
"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, slamming the lid closed.
"Potter!" grimaced Draco, crossing the rooma and swiping the box up. "My mother is insisting I propose before I attempt to mark her but that were the pheromones become a bitch."
Harry heard Sirius shout from downstairs, calling for the students' trunks.
"What do you mean?" he asked, stepping out of the way of Blaise's floating trunk as it allowed itself to be summoned.
"I talked to Theo and we reckon Hermione had a week at the most to allow the mark before my Wolf's pheromones begin to slowly charge her body with sexual energy or some bullshit. She can either sleep with me in the next week or she will be so horny she'll end up jumping me. There were a few cases of student Lycanthropy, only two to have occurred at Hogwarts, and one of them ended up shagging their mate in the middle of a feast, surrounded by the entire school."
Harry paled slightly, an unfortunate image of Hermione and Draco having sex a top of the Gryffindor table burning on the forefront of his mind.
"Merlin, you have to seduce her."
Draco's eyes brows rose and the trunk he was levitating down to Sirius dropped a few inches out the air, nearly crushing Harry's toes. "You want me to have sex with her?" he smirked.
Harry narrowed his eyes, "no, I want her to chose but she's stubborn and one week is not enough without you helping her."
"Boys!" called Mrs Weasley signalling the end to their conversation.
"We'll talk later," said Harry as he left to receive his trunk.
"Highly unlikely but whatever," came the reply as the blonde continued to move his trunk.
At four o'clock Professor McGonagall arrived in the designated apparition point in Grimmauld Place and was enveloped in a hug as soon as the room stopped spinning.
"Professor," beamed Hermione as she wrapped her arms around the elderly witch. Minerva smiled down at the girl, placing a comforting hand on her cheek.
"Hermione, my sweet child. It is nice to see you again. Did you receive my journal?" she replied, wrapping an arm around the girl and leading her into the kitchen.
Hermione nodded, her curls bouncing as she told the teacher of her own studies.
"The mate marking is the equivalent to marriage in the eyes of the Ministry and I can feel the physical pull to consummate already," she confessed, her voice dropping in volume as they passed the Twins in the hallway.
"Hermione Granger, I will not lie to you. You are being childish, foolish and a lot of other things," asserted McGonagall, pulling the girl to a stop and into one of the reception rooms. She closed the door quietly and turned to her favourite student. "You have been half in love with that boy for as long as you've known each other. Stop pussyfooting around girl. This is your chance at true love and happiness and you are delaying your soul's true fate because you are scared," she said with a finality to her voice that made Hermione see reason.
The young girl nodded as a smile broke on her face. The girl laughed loudly and when she opened her eyes they were gold with mirth. "Professor I think I am in love with Draco Malfoy." The Gryffindor's laughter was infectious and soon Minerva was smiling with her.
"You are and you are waiting for nothing. Be happy Hermione. Be happy and selfish for once."
The side along apparition to Hogwarts took twenty minutes for the all of the students to travel one by one from Grimmauld Place to the school's main corridor.
Their trunks had already been sent on their way to the communal dorm they would be sharing with the returning 8th years. Ginny had been given special permission to reside in the dorm instead of Gryffindor Tower and she had linked arms with Pansy as they waited for Theo, the final person to be apparated to the corridor.
"It's weird being back," murmured Pansy as the two girls survey what they could see of the rebuilt castle. The Great Hall was the same as it always had been, the late summer afternoon shining through the enchanted ceiling. Ginny nodded in agreement just as McGonagall and Theo arrived.
"Listen please," called McGonagall to the small group. "The returning 8th years will have their own tower, the entrance to which is on the sixth floor behind the Founder's tapestry. If you would follow me I will show you the passageways to get there in the shortest time."
The group followed the Headmistress each in conversation with someone. Ginny and Pansy lead the way, their arms still linked as they climbed the stone steps of a spiral staircase in one of the secret passageways. Blaise, Ron and Harry were arguing loudly about the Quidditch league behind them. The two couples followed behind, Daphne and Theo discussing something unimportant whilst Draco tried to explain Hermione's sudden need to eat bloody meat.
On the sixth corridor, situated at the east end, hung a large golden tapestry that depicted the four founders and their animal counterparts. McGonagall gave the password to Helga Hufflepuff and then drew the material back, revealing a small wooden door.
Inside, the common room was spacial, nearly as big as Gryffindor Tower's. There were large oak tables and multiple sofas and armchairs spread about the open space, with a large five seater sofa and two squishy-looking armchairs crowded around a lit fireplace. Picturesque windows were dotted around the stone walls which had bookshelves and picture frame built in. The bright colour scheme was welcoming as the group filed in behind the Headmistress. A large stone staircase that began near the front door wrapped itself around the circular wall and the ornately designed wrought iron banister shadows were dancing on the white carpet
"The staircase wraps around the entire tower all the way to the top dorms. There will be fourteen in this dorm; you nine, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ernie Macmillan, Parvati Patil and Hannah Abbott. The rooms are spaced along the staircase and each occupant's name is carved onto the door. They are all single room apart from Mr and Mrs Nott and Hermione and Draco's room. There are en-suits to every room. Dinner will be served at seven tonight so please don't be late. Enjoy."
"Wait did she say we were sharing a room?"
